Chara Magic
by Shikyo Kuranosai -Rebirth
Summary: The event that sends Amu away for four years wipes the memories of those close to Amu. Yet why is it that Mashiro Rima still recalls their times together once Amu returns and enrolls in their high school. Not to forget, in that time ways have been discovered for Charas to change into human form. -Recently Remodeled-
1. Intro: Coming Home

_**A/N: For those who have already read a good deal of this Chara Magic, I highly suggest you reread as I've recently gone back through and made changes that will help with the story line and progression.**_

_**Ikuto has never left, Amu has never changed to Amulet Fortune and Ikuto has never become Seven Seas Treasure. The 'Embryo' has not been discovered to really be a Heart's Egg that's been forced out by Easter's leader's desires, and so on.**_

**Shugo Chara and its characters belong to Peach-Pit.**

Hoshino Utau finished singing her latest song and walked backstage. She looked up expectantly at Tsukiyomi Ikuto, who had been listening in as he had promised the obsessed girl. On Ikuto's shoulder, Yoru looked quite happy when she ended the song, and of course, Il (Iru) and El (Eru) had loved the song, showing Utau in their different ways.

"That was great," Il complemented, flying up and giving a large smile. El flew up beside her and just nodded her head with an approving grunt. However, Utau being Utau swatted away the two Charas and gave Ikuto a pleading look, wishing for praise. Instead of giving his little sister what she wanted, Ikuto kept quiet and turned his back to her as he began walking down the steps.

"You should be getting to bed. You don't want to wake up tomorrow with it being the last month of school," Ikuto stated calmly.

-_break_-

Not too long ago, Tsukasa had figured a way that the Charas could transform into a human and the Charas had joined their masters in school as actual students. All the Charas were practically excelling in their classes, having sat through so many with nothing to do when they could not transform. Now in high school they had divided into their separate cliques. Hotori Tadase was the king of the school, Kiseki his right hand man, and Yoru his left. Daichi was the new main athlete, although his older brother figure Souma Kukai was often around helping out. Ikuto, having a rather free schedule as a musician he would often come and laze around the school. Utau was undoubtedly the school's queen. Her right hand was El, and her left Il. Yamamoto Lulu de Morcert was considered her best friend, and was often considered her shadow. Nana was the shadow's shadow. Their apprentice and little puppet was Hiiragi Rikka and Hotaru. Fujisaki Nagihiko was the school's supermodel, unrivaled with his feminine beauty and sensitivity. He would often be accompanied by Temari, who taught him dance, and Rhythm, who was in charge of his physical conditioning. Sanjo Kairi was the base keeping the school together as president, but at the same time he was the biggest nerd. Musashi was leader of kendo club, but with his ties to Kairi he couldn't claim his rightful position on the school's social ladder. The baby dolls were Yuiki Yaya and Pepe. Kusukusu was the biggest class clown, and managed to maintain her social position despite her ties to Mashiro Rima. Ah, Rima, and unfortunate soul. Back in middle school she had been good friends with everyone, but after something happened in her life she became angry with them all, even her own Chara. She cut off her ties to everyone but Kusukusu and began collecting blackmail against everyone she came across, turning herself into the school's reject.

They all shared homeroom and gym at the very least. It was the forces of the Universe binding them together for some fateful event that was bound to occur soon, too soon. Their homeroom teacher was Sanjo Yukari of all people.

-_break_-

Hinamori Amu stepped out of the airport, looking around for a bus that would take her to as close as she could get to an actual bus stop. As she squinted to get a better view she saw that someone held a sign with her name on it. Well, more specifically her last name. She squeezed her way past all the people to the driver, curiosity helping her weave through the people. Her small backpack carried four eggs.

"Excuse me, may I ask what you're waiting for?" Amu asked the man, stepping back when he nearly jumped in surprise. He looked her over after casting a quick glance over the crowd.

"Are you Hinamori-sama?"

Amu pointed to herself. "My name is Hinamori Amu."

The man appeared confused by her name. "Are you related by any chance to a man by the name of Hinamori Tsumugu?"

Amu recalled her father, but he had retired from traveling the world in pursuit of being close to home and taking pictures of his lovely family and esteemed Ami. Before she could answer the man's question when he seemed to have spotted what he was looking for. "Hinamori-sama is a famous photographer. He's married to the editor of _Housewives' Knowledge_, and has a lovely daughter named Ami."

Tsumugu had finally made his way towards them. He noticed the strange head of pink hair. "Hello there, who might you be?"

Amu fought the tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She smiled, the strange feeling of conversing with a complete stranger taking her over. "I'm Hinamori Amu, sir."

He beamed. "Oh, you're a Hinamori? And you're name is rather close to Ami, too! How coincidental! You should come with me, you can meet Midori and Ami!"

Amu felt her stomach churn. Her father didn't remember her, one of the few people that was supposed to always keep her close. She didn't know if she'd be able to stomach the rest of her family forgetting her, but it was too late. She had never realized how strong his grip was until he managed to drag her to the vehicle and past the door the driver held open. Inside her checkered backpack her Charas shifted.

-_break_-

"Midori! Ami! I'm home!" Tsumugu sang as loudly as he could, bringing a smile to the two females in the house. Amu's smile was faint at the ever present cheery disposition of her father. Doubt consumed her once more, but she couldn't leave seeing as Tsumugu had already closed the door behind her. "I've brought us a guest. Her name is Hinamori Amu!"

Midori looked at Amu, a kind smile twinkling in her eyes as she ran over and ensnared Amu in a hug. "Nice to meet you, Amu! My little darling there is Ami."

Ami gleefully joined in the hug. Amu was shell-shocked at her family's blatant ignorance of her position in their family. She wanted nothing more than to escape to the carnival that often comforted her. She sat through dinner and the joyous chatter that tugged at her heartstrings.

"So Amu, have you found a place to stay?" Midori asked blindly.

It hit Amu like ton of bricks that she in fact didn't. She had blindly thought she would be able to return to her old home. The wad of cash in her pocket felt blaringly small now. She and the Charas would have to start up work in order to rent a small apartment. It would be mean they would have to spend even more time in their human forms. "Actually, I haven't found a place in my budget range yet."

Tsumugu seemed appalled by this. He clasped her hands firmly in his own and brought her very close. "I know an apartment place that's decent for its price. Midori and I used to live there when we were just starting off in this town."

Amu nodded. "Thanks. If you could mark a map for me I would be very grateful."

Tsumugu nodded and quickly located a map and pen, circling the apartment complex he was talking about. "If you need any help don't hesitate to come to us. We'd be more than happy to help a family member!"

-_break_-

Amu collapsed in the bed at the apartment they had rented. Her Charas laid sprawled across the other bed.

"Amu-chan, I'll go find work tomorrow so we can make enough money to keep the place," Dia offered. It had been a long time since they had last been here. The wad of bills was all they had brought with them, but it was thankfully enough to put a down payment on the apartment. She nodded at Dia.

Ran perked up. "Miki can sell some of her paintings if we can get her supplies. I'm sure Su can get a part time as a cook, and I can attend a bunch of contests!"

Amu nodded again, too tired to really argue. "I'll see if I can get a part time at the nearby convenience store. For now, I'm going to take a shower. Help yourselves to unpack what we do have, and no TV. We don't want to rack up the electric bills. I'm sure we can do fine though. It'll take a while to get used to being in the city again.

The Charas cheered and set to work. Ran took the checkered backpack and took out the human clothing they had purchased for them in their human forms. Su was doing some tidying to make the place more homely and reduce the abandoned aura the place had. Through the walls they could make out one of the popular songs playing around everywhere, Black Diamond by Hoshino Utau. The Charas began humming along as they worked. Miki was taking inventory of what they'd need and categorizing them by importance and expenses. When Amu got out of the shower she changed into pajamas and fell asleep quickly. They all needed to go to bed so they could get to school early tomorrow.

-_break_-

Ikuto and Kukai passed the soccer ball to each other, which quickly turned into a competition of who could make the most creative pass. Utau and Lulu played with Rikka's hair, twirling it into braids and anything they could think of since Tadase was in a rather animate discussion with Tsukasa. The elder man glanced at his clock before bringing an abrupt stop to the conversation. "You guys better get ready for school. You guys wouldn't want to be late after waking up so early."

"The only reason they are up so early is so that they want to bother the new students," Sanjo explained, barging in on the old observatory. "I don't want them incapable of going about their normal lives, understand?"

Ikuto remained silent, Kukai frowned, and the girls remained impassive to avoid wrinkles. They all agreed to the samurai's terms. "Fine."

**(1,666 words)**


	2. Welcome

**Shugo Chara and its characters belong to Peach-Pit.**

Amu was wide awake before their alarm had a chance to go off. The excitement of being back in home was itching under her skin. As soon as her feet touched the ground all bits of grogginess fled, or perhaps it was all the workouts she had done. Shuffling her feet along the hard wood floors she entered the bathroom, turning the lights on and shutting the door quickly after. In that brief moment the light had woken up Dia, who made her way into the bathroom with Amu and took the brush to run it through the milky pink hair. "You're up already?

Amu smiled at Dia's reflection. After the Diamond Chara had worked out the knots she splashed her face. "I was thinking of fetching out uniforms early."

Dia shook her head furiously, crossing her arms in an "X". "No way! Do you know what kind of perverts lay in wait out there! You guys will all walk to school together, and you can change into the uniforms there! I'm sure that a school such as the one your four are going to has the budget for changing rooms!"

Amu made quick work to cover Dia's mouth. "Sh, just because I'm up doesn't mean the others are ready to wake up. Don't you have to get a head start on finding a job?"

Dia's eyes widened and she frantically brushed out her own knots, tied her hair into its signature pigtails, and scrubbed her teeth. She was furiously fixing her clothing when Amu returned with her own outfit that she had brought from their move. It was something simple that would allow them to easily blend in, but still had a touch of her main Chara outfit, her dress a toned down golden hue and a white headband with a small diamond border. Dia left without eating breakfast, drawing a large sigh from Amu as she locked the door behind the Diamond Chara.

Amu allowed the others another hour of sleep before she was joined by Miki and Su, her Spade and Clover Chara. They set about scrapping together what they could before setting on the meticulous task of waking up Ran, who despite being an athletic Chara, could turn out rather lazy when it didn't come to sports. With the heat of summer coming to its peak Amu was dressed in a short sleeve tee, with some black workout shorts. Su's flowy dress was a clover green with white accents, her shoes wound up past her ankle. Miki wore her normal light blue dress shirt tucked into her shorts, her bag attached to her hip. Ran wore a light pink vest and dark red shorts, part of her hair pulled off to the side in a ponytail.

-_break_-

The four teenage girls gaped at the huge buildings in front of them and the large central fountain and gardens. The school was nothing they had expected it to be despite the numerous brochures they'd seen. Their connection had managed to get them in to high school without too much problems. They certainly wouldn't have to worry about having to get Dia to act as their parent or make up horrendous excuses. It was a public school, so they wouldn't have to pay spiked prices, but there were many rich kids in attendance that donated quite generously to the school. The entrance alone could only be described as grand.

Opening up the school brochure's map, they navigated to principal's office. He was a kind, elderly man, who gave over their uniforms and pointed them to the dressing room. It was a plain white dress shirt with short sleeves, and a blue plaid skirt. They also had an apricot colored sweater for when it got colder. Sadly, they didn't allow hats, only small hair accessories to keep one's hair out of one's face (i.e. headbands, hair clips, etc.). Amu used an X-clip to pin back her bangs, and Ran had a heart clip to keep her side ponytail up and incorporate her signature heart. Su had fixed a green bow with a clover clip to pull her hair back in a ponytail. Miki had her spade in the form of a spade stitched into her bag. They waited in the principal's office for he had called them an escort.

-_break_-

Now his group was sure that they were indeed the four they were asked by the headmaster to give a tour of the grounds. Deciding he'd no longer observe the group of new students, Sanjo looked to Tsukiyomi, Hoshino, and Mashiro.

'Damn it,' he cursed silently to himself. Once again he had referred to the female Tsukiyomi by her stage name. Everyone did it once she admitted to being the idol Utau Hoshino. "Shall we go and greet the new students?"

The bell rang, and whilst the students gave his group distance the new kids were distracted by them easily once they had entered the room.

-_break_-

Amu caught a glimpse of messy blue hair walking towards them, along with dark green and two two blondes, drowning anything she might have said to her Charas with an unintentional hiss. Realizing who they were, Miki's heart skipped a beat, her eyes scanning for the love she lost when they had left- Yoru. Ran was still beaming as ever, although the four were tied by bonds closer than ever, and they could tell that her heart ached for Kiseki.

Amu felt those blue eyes lock with hers, and she took a reactionary step back to place more distance between her and the owner of those eyes once the group stopped in front of them. 'Ikuto, Kairi, Utau, and…. _Rima_.'

Rima's eyes widened as she finally recognized the familiar faces, instead focusing on the pinkette she hadn't seen in years since her days as a Guardian. "_Amu_?"

**(974 words)**


	3. Forgotten

**Shugo Chara and its characters belong to Peach-Pit.**

Amu didn't react, keeping her cool while inside she was frozen in shock. Rima knew who she was, so the others would too, right? "Che, is that all you can say?"

Su put a hand on her shoulder, her furrowed brows expressing clear displeasure. "Don't be so mean to Mashiro-san ~desu!"

Miki noticed Yoru and a few of the other Charas out and about, the size of humans. She gasped, managing to muffle it by firmly pressing her lips together. When Kusukusu came up to them all giddy, dressed in a messily put together uniform, the three Charas drew in a quick breath. Ran pounced eagerly on the Joker Chara and proceeded to squeeze out the life of Kusukusu in a giant hug. "I can't believe it, you guys can change too!"

Ikuto narrowed his eyes, forming a postulating expression. Before he could get the words past his lips Sanjo spoke a simple greeting, effectively cutting Ikuto off from starting a long line of questioning that would only cause headaches later. "Hello. We are here to show you around."

Ikuto's questions were left on his tongue, more joining them as Amu shifted her weight in a show of uneasiness. She had a lot of explaining to do later, but first she would have to figure out what was going on with the people of her hometown. Sanjo's greeting was like being rubbed with sandpaper, causing her to wonder what happened to cause people to forget her. Of course she didn't let it slip by that Rima still remembered who she is. Her eyes casted to the side, amusement darting past them briefly at how Su was about to go full blown lecture about what poor manners it was to greet you friends in such a way. This did not escape the attention of the others, and wrung about small laughter emanating from Utau and Ikuto. Rima was stoic, but when she had caught Amu's eyes properly they shared a conversation promising to explain. Amu shook her head, mouthing later while everyone else's attention was distracted. "Thank you, Sanjou-san. If you could be so kind as to guide us to first period, we are running quite late."

Amu sent a glare at Ran, which was the equivalent of the Undertaker watching a victim blaringly obvious, and Ran came scurrying to her side. "_Gomen_, Amu-chan."

Amu gave a stern pat to her first hatched Chara's head, and with that single motion she also managed to display that they were ready to be led to class. Kusukusu blinked a few times to break through the shock before sitting down in a seat, most likely from goofing off in class despite barely being through a few minutes of the first class of the day. Rima turned on the ball of her foot and marched away at a decent pace that commanded one to follow or be left behind. The three Charas and their owner promptly followed like lost little ducklings.

-_break_-

They were nearly all separated due to their preferences in classes. Utau shared many of Miki's classes, and Sanjou quite surprisingly was in Su's class. Rima was with Ran, and Ran told her that Rima managed to wheedle out of their Physical Ed class and other menial work. Amu was free to wander alone in between classes, but occasionally she'd see Ikuto watching her from some spot in a tree, his violin case at the base of the tree. Thankfully they all shared their lunch. When the bell rang signaling that third period was over the four grouped up near instantly, and Rima stole them away much to the surprise of the other three escorts.

"I would love to draw this school," Miki sighed contently. It was a group consensus, seeing the way Su eyed the sparkles of every sparkling corner of the school. Even she had to admit that she was liking their new school.

They stopped at the cafeteria to grab their free school lunch before heading off to eat on the roof.

"Amu, you left four years ago," Rima stated when they started eating, signaling the start of the explanation and catch-up session.

Amu's stomach expanded as she drew in a large breath. "I went to the Chara Realm."

Rima's brows knit together as she tried to make sense of what she was hearing.

"While Charas wait for their owners to either have need for them or achieve their true selves they exist in another realm where they have a large community. They brought me there to train myself to be more accepting of my true self, and to deal with the Embryo."

"Deal with the _Embryo_?" Rima asked, incredulous.

Ran bobbed her head, starting to say something that was not to be said by the way Miki cut her off. "Yeah, the Embryo is-"

Rima raised her hand. "I don't need to know why."

Her gaze refocused on Amu. "When you left, everyone forgot you. They had managed to keep their ties with each other, but when I tried to join in they'd cast me out. I'm the only one to remember, and the only one excluded from the ties everyone has here. It's creepy, and whatever it is, it's trying to get me under its control. I've excluded myself from any relationships due to my newfound paranoia."

Amu titled her head. "It probably has something to do with the Embryo. I can't go into further detail due to the oath I promised to the Chara Council."

Rima nodded, accepting the answer. They relocated the direction of the conversation to catching up on their lives, Amu and her Charas going over their training in minor details.

-_break_-

Nearing the end of lunch they went back to the cafeteria, where Rima was repeatedly tripped.

"Why don't you just stay on the ground? It's where you belong!" some anonymous person screeched out. At this, Ikuto, who was sitting at the popular table (the one closest to their location), chuckled, receiving a dark glare from Amu. He shrugged when he caught her glare. "It's true."

"Then you've turned out for the worse, Tsukiyomi," Amu replied, not knowing the thin ice she was on and the attention she was receiving from the Ikuto fan club. They were further riled up as Ikuto moved into her space, uncaring of the anger this brought on being directed towards Amu.

"What?"

Amu was completely unfazed, used to such actions from many perverts (specifically Ikuto from before she left), and got even closer to him without making contact. They would kiss if either were to move any closer. "I'm saying that you're an idiot for thinking you're better than anyone here."

With that said, Amu helped Rima up, and the five girls walked away.

-_break_-

_The next Day_

Amu and her Charas made their way to their first class, ready for an onslaught of hatred directed their way from their actions yesterday.

**(1,156 words)**


	4. Mixed Feelings

**Shugo Chara and its characters are owned by Peach Pit.**

Amu was in a particularly foul mood that morning when she was left without any friends in her class and the entirety of Ikuto's fan club was about to strike a dagger through her back. It was worse because they had P.E. first, and the girls were all complaining. Of course, they'd shut up the moment Ikuto walked by because he was an athletic person. Amu didn't even want to try making friends with the other girls, because unlike them, Amu was actually athletic.

During her training, she was taught to not rely on her Charas, and to be the person she wanted to be. Even without Ran she could do crazy stunts that most others wouldn't even dream of, so when she would actually Chara Change with Ran she could go incredibly far.

Perhaps Kami loved her, because she was set up against Ikuto's team with some good players. When it was Ikuto's serve, he spiked it right to Amu's head, and due to her momentarily spacing out she was now gaining a migraine. She glowered in Ikuto's direction, wanting to punch that smug grin off of his face. Thankfully her teammates had managed to save the ball and get a point, so it was her turn to serve now.

Taking a deep breath in, she slowly exhaled and tossed the ball up at the same time. At the ball's peak she jumped up and slammed her hand down, watching it spiral straight for Ikuto's face. Like the damned feline he was, he managed to just barely clear it, but at the same time her team got the point. Everyone watched her warily as she received the ball and was consumed by a demonic aura. The girls on Ikuto's team yelped and scrambled to get out of the way of her serve. Amu got in four aces before Ikuto started to get into her rhythm and actually managed to return her serves. A war between Amu and Ikuto soon began, and the other kids dare not get in the way unless it was to set to their teammate.

-_break_-

Amu exhaled a long, deep breath. She gently closed her locker, making sure to put back on her lock before heading for second period. While Amu may not seem it, she was actually quite good with World History, mainly because she had it ingrained into her skull as part of her training. Japanese was one of her second best, inspired by Nikaido-sensei's mispronunciation of her name near constantly. She had seen Ran run by, eager to go off to P.E., followed by her less eager classmates. It reminded her of how the other Charas would laugh at all of Ran's energy, pinning her with the nickname "Kakki Bomu."

Amu was dragged back to the present when she bumped into none other than Kukai. "Gomennasai, Souma-sempai."

Kukai inclined his head, analyzing the girl that was already butting heads with Ikuto even though she just transferred in a few days ago. He gave his normal sporty smile, glad when she reciprocated it. "No problem. Where are you heading to now?"

Amu handed him her schedule, the smile on her face rather stiff. She felt bad giving him a fake smile, but knowing that it wasn't the same Kukai she knew, she just couldn't bring her real smile out. She followed him to her next class, where they chatted amiably until he asked a question that grated on her nerves. "Hey, I noticed that you and your friends all have weird hair colors. Why's that?"

She ground her teeth for a moment before she forced herself to relax. "It's natural, if you're asking."

"No way, really?" Kukai asked, leaning in close and then snapping back when the bell rang.

"Souma-san, please stop flirting with the new girl," the teacher stated, making Amu blush lightly. Outraged she stood and walked to a different empty seat by the window, her eyes focused straight ahead on the board as though she hadn't been conversing with Kukai moments earlier. This startled Kukai, who had never seen a girl change to conceal themselves so quickly. "Souma-san, unless you have business here go back to your duties."

Kukai saluted the woman and marched out the door.

-_break_-

Amu ran into Rima when she spaced off once again at the end of school, thinking about the club activities. She found herself doing that quite a lot today, so she'd have to be careful. "Ah, Rima-chan, sorry about that. You're the second time I've run into someone."

Rima nodded, then appeared as though she realized a mistake and shook her head, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry Amu, but I don't think we should be seen being friendly to each other."

Amu held her friend's shoulders and attempted to get Rima to look her in the eyes. "Rima, I don't know who put you up to this, but I won't allow them to tear us apart. You're the only one who remembers me, I couldn't lose you, too."

Rima blushed, turning around and walking off towards the school's exit, leaving Amu behind to walk after her with a stunned expression at how much faster the little- no, she was no longer small, but she was even more beautiful than before- had darted away. Amu shook off those thoughts, confused as to where they came from. She rushed after Rima when she realized that the girl was leaving her behind. "Wait, Rima!"

**(908 words)**


	5. Discovered?

**Shugo Chara and its characters belong to Peach Pit.**

"Are you absolutely sure that all four of them are Charas?" Utau skeptically asked Kukai, focusing more on her manicure than what Kukai was laying down.

He nodded, ready to fire off something that would get the two butting heads once again. Ikuto was more focused on the information that Kukai was feeding their group. "What are their abilities, then?"

Kukai scratched his head, a rather bad habit he had developed when trying to remember something other than sports. "Both of the pink haired ones are good at sports, the blue one is good at art, and the green one is good at baking."

Ikuto sighed, and Tadase gladly spoke what they were both speaking. "That doesn't help. We need to find out who their owner is, then what wish they represent."

"More importantly, who owns four Charas? It is possible that they do not all belong to the same person." Kairi was the only one who thought to bring it up. They all considered it for a moment before it was shot down. One of them would have to get close to them, and then retrieve information. So, who would do it? A volunteer? Or someone unfortunate to get the most votes?

"It can't be Ikuto, he and Amu are on bad terms," Kairi stated. He'd be able to tell who the most logical was, seeing as he paid more attention to the new kids than the others did. "Kiseki and El is out for they'd demand answers, and Yaya, Yoru, and Il would end up forgetting everything. Tadase would snap if someone addressed him as –ehem- and never get the information. Nagihiko, Temari, and Rhythm are busy so they can't do it. I have school duties to attend to, and Masashi has kendo club. Kukai and Daichi have a big tournament coming up. Utau has a concert. Err, that only leaves Lulu."

Lulu stood up. "Who do you think gets Utau prepared for her concerts?"

Kairi sighed, "Then we don't have anyone who can do it."

Tsukasa sighed and raised his hand that held a card in it. "Are you forgetting about me? I can be far more accurate then you guys are, too."

"Then we demand you to complete this task, peasant!" Kiseki demanded.

-_break_-

Amu caught up with Rima the next morning. "About yesterday, I'm sorry."

Amu swung her head to give Rima her full attention. Ran had run ahead and drug Miki along with Su tagging along for her own pleasure. "No problem. Just don't do it again, ok?"

Rima nodded, blushing lightly. "I got paranoid, and I ended up dragging you into it. I have dirt on a lot of the school, and I fear the students would hurt you to get to me."

Amu shook her head, flexing her arm for Rima to see, a bright smile lighting her face. Rima never really had any other friends when they were younger, she was too wary of everyone with the kidnappings she'd experienced. "Don't worry. I'm strong enough to handle myself and protect my friends."

Rima smiled as well, and they walked to school in a comfortable silence. "Amu-chan, Rima-chan!"

Amu glanced at Rima and smirked, noticing it spread to Rima. They ran to the gate where Amu's Charas awaited them. "About time you two slowpokes got here!"

Rima giggled at Ran's enthusiastic ranting. Amu decided to derail Ran by giving her a noogie. "Come on, if we're so slow then we don't want to be late to class."

Ran was successfully changed to a different topic, and proceeded to drag them all to the school building. It felt good to have such a carefree attitude once again with her friends. It turned out a surprise when Kusukusu bombarded them all in a giant hug.

"Amu-chan, Ran-chan, Miki-chan, Su-chan, it's so great to see all of you again!" Kusukusu declared. Amu tilted her head towards Rima, asking her through body language about Kusukusu. Rima herself shrugged, curious as to her Charas behavior.

"Kusukusu?" Rima asked, gently prodding the jokester.

"I remember, Rima! I can't believe I'd forgotten the first person to be your friend, Rima!" Kusukusu exclaimed, to which Amu promptly covered her mouth and pulled back when the Chara licked her palm.

"Eww! Disgusting, Kusu!" Amu whined, causing them all to laugh.

By the end of the day, Kusukusu fell in the school standings, but it didn't matter, because she was with those that really mattered and got to bring a smile t their face with Rima and take a step closer to turning Rima into her true self, her goal as a Chara. She may have been blinded by whatever had caused her to forget Amu and her Charas, but now she was back on track.

-_break_-

"Hey, you guys are new here, aren't you?" Tsukasa asked them, which caused them a small dilemma.

"Er, yeah, we are. We actually used to live here, but we left and just moved back recently," Amu stated, standing a little defensively in front of Rima and Kusukusu. She was flanked by Ran, Miki, and Su.

"No need to be so protective of your friend. Mashiro-san, correct?" Tsukasa stated, moving to address Rima. Rima flinched, wary of what Tsukasa might be there for, talking to them. "I'm Tsukasa."

Amu's eyes narrowed. "I'm Amu, this is Ran, Miki, and Su."

He gave a small bow. "You're Charas, are you not?"

The horrified expressions of Ran, Miki, and Su confirmed his question, yet Amu remained stoic. Her composure only gave off a calm and reserved aura and even her posture held nothing to give away. Perhaps that was what she represented, the desire to be composed and keep cool. Tsukasa felt the corners of his mouth stretch higher. So Ran was the athlete, Miki the artist, and Su was the cook.

"I don't know what you want, but I don't have time to deal with you right now," Amu threatened, using only a drop of venom to carry it. The pinkette passed him by, followed by her friends.

Tsukasa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now who's your bearer?"

**(1,019 words)**


	6. New Threat

**Shugo Chara and its characters belong to Peach-Pit.**

"As we know, Ran is the athlete, Miki is the artist, and Su is the cook. I also found that Amu is a character type, and she represent the bearer's desire to be cool and composed," Tsukasa informed the group. "I didn't find out who the bearers, or bearer, was, though."

Utau frowned. "Shouldn't it be impossible for anyone to have more than two Charas?"

"I don't know. We've never met anyone with more than two," Tsukasa spoke, "and even then it's rare."

"What are you idiots up to?"

Everyone watched in surprise as Rima walked up to them, Kusukusu behind her with a goofy grin on her face. Her arms were crossed and she stood stiffly in front of them. It was obvious she didn't want to be there, but she wanted to know what they were up to. The silence continued to stretch on until Rima snapped. "Well? Why are you idiots bothering them?"

Kusukusu snickered, as if she knew a hilarious joke but wouldn't share it with them. When they failed to provide an answer Rima pointed at them and assumed her Queen attitude. "Fine then! You idiots are to leave them alone!"

With a flick of her hair she left as quickly as she came, leaving only the silence she had brought. Kusukusu followed her, laughter filling the observatory. "Apparently Kusukusu finds our silence hilarious."

Tadase sweat dropped at Utau's straightforward analyzation. He straightened as he recognized the familiar dark aura swirling around. Ikuto noticed it as well. "Come on, there's an X-egg flying around."

"Utau, Rikka, you guys focus on purifying them. We'll hold them down," Ikuto stated, everyone Character Transforming and moving out. Tsukasa waved goodbye and sat down to enjoy his tea and gaze up at the stars.

-_break_-

"Slash Claw!"

The large wave of X-eggs was unlike anything they'd seen before. It's sheer magnitude was forcing them back and working them to the brim. Utau and Rikka could only do so much, and with them dispersed all around them like a giant sea it was pitiful.

"Juggling Party!"

Juggling pins hit back the closer X-eggs as Rima dropped in as Clown Drop. It was a surprise to see her Character Transformed, but they were thankful for the extra help. Rima threw out her hand. "Now!"

"Spiral Heart!"

A strange cheerleading rod whipped through the crowds before circling back like a boomerang, leaving a sparkling dust that trapped the X-eggs behind. Floating above them, someone caught the baton expertly and twisted. "Open Heart!"

A larger version of Rikka's own Open Heart enveloped them in waves, purifying the X-eggs in one go by enlarging the range by getting higher up. The figure landed in the sea of white, which took a few moments to clear the park and leave the shred of light from the few lampposts not destroyed by the eggs. "Remake Honey!"

In front of everyone's eyes the park was miraculously restored with a single wave of glittery gold honey. By the time they remembered the mysterious figure the person and Rima had disappeared.

"Could it possibly be the new bearer?" Rikka asked, slightly ashamed that she wasn't the one to restore all of the X-eggs. Lulu was frozen like a statue. Suddenly she snapped out of it, giving off nervous chuckles and rushing away. Utau tried to stop her, but all her calls fell on deaf ears.

"Lulu!"

-_break_-

"Amu, that was amazing," Rima whispered, still in awe at the amazing showcase Amu displayed.

Amu blushed, "It was nothing. We were taught by the Chara Council."

"But you went from one Character Transformation to another in the blink of an eye!" Rima argued.

Amu smiled lightly, patting her old case that contained a worn out Ran and Su. "It's really exhausting for them after maintaining their human forms for so long and then Character Transform like that. They should be recovered by tomorrow for school. Anyways, what was with that horde? I thought Easter hadn't been up to anything while I was gone?"

Rima shook her head, remembering the pain Easter always caused them. "Utau was the one who created the mass of X-eggs, and Lulu made the ?-eggs, so we don't get masses or ?-eggs anymore. Seeing so many of them, like that, it frightened me."

Amu's smile turned sad, and she gave a comforting pat to Rima's head. "We'll have to get to the bottom of the new source, then. Will you be my Watson, Rima-chan?"

Rima frowned, confused by Amu's analogy. "Watson?"

Amu laughed, realizing Rima didn't know Sherlock and Watson. "It's an American story that's been adapted into shows. Sherlock is an amazingly perceptive detective who solves mysteries, and Watson is his powerful sidekick."

"Then shouldn't I be Sherlock and you Watson?" Rima joked, laughing herself. Amu joined, and they walked together peacefully towards Rima's home.

"It'd make more sense if both of you were Sherlock and we Charas were your Watson," Kusukusu stated, snickering. Miki's laugh joined in on the light atmosphere, but her blue eyes watched their surroundings, watching for anything suspicious. She had a feeling something was horribly wrong, but she wasn't sure what. The horde of X-eggs didn't work in drawing out the Embryo, which meant that someone else could be have captured it.

**(881 words)**


End file.
